Worldwide in the past year, twelve million hectares of tropical forest lost. This is evident from the annual report of the Global Forest Watch (GFW). Accordingly, an area the size of Bavaria and was total destroyed in Saxony. The forests of the third largest loss of the Tropics, since in the year 2001 with the collection of satellite data has begun to document these.
the speed of The destruction is according to the study, remains high. Minute by minute get out of the forest of the size of 30 football fields. Almost a third of the affected areas were reported to be particularly worthy of protection forest in the oldest Generation.
be the first documented intervention in the hitherto pristine natural rain forest, the century-old, even thousand-year-old trees, said research group leader Mikaela Weisse to the AFP news Agency.
interventions in indigenous peoples inhabited areas
In Brazil, the loss was according to the study, at the largest. The proportion of the total loss of rain forest in the South American country with approximately 13,500 square kilometers, about one-third. This was partly due to forest fires, the majority have to do with that land have been cleared to create grazing areas, the report says.
At the same time, it is still too early to be able to the effects of the policy of the new President of Jair Bolsonaro estimate. The high declines had already occurred prior to taking office. Bolsonaro had repeatedly made it clear that environmental protection is among its priorities. Bolsonaro want to designate any new protected areas in the Amazon region and further deforestation in the rain forest allow it.
For Brazil, the data showed also a significant Trend of people set Fires, even in areas where indigenous peoples live. “With the Scare, we also see interventions in indigenous areas, which for years were immune against deforestation,” said a scientist White.
Brazil After the loss of the original rain forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was with 4,800 square kilometres at its largest. On Indonesia, with 3,400 square kilometers, Colombia with 1,800 square kilometers, and Bolivia, with 1,500 square kilometers to follow. The African island state of Madagascar, lost in the past year, two percent of its rain forest.
The authors highlight Indonesia as a positive example. Accordingly, the loss of primary forest in the South-East Asian country fell to the lowest level since 2003. This indicates that protection measures taken by the government took effect.
“The forests of the world are now in the emergency room”
Overall, breeding is responsible for the destruction of the rainforest, according to the report, especially the livestock and agriculture In Asia and Africa, it is mainly the cultivation of oil palm in South America to cereals for the production of biofuels. Slash and burn agriculture and deforestation to the increase in Surface is not free to use only climate-damaging carbon dioxide, but also reduce the capacity of the so-called “green lungs” to absorb CO2.
World’s tropical forests absorb about 30 percent of all human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases – the equivalent of more than eleven billion tons per year. Also, the oceans are huge CO2 Filter, they take up about 23 percent of the gas.
Frances Seymour, a scientist at the World resources Institute in Washington, warned that the”welfare of the planet” standing on the game. “The forests of the world are now in the emergency room.” With each lost acre “we will come closer to the terrible scenario of runaway climate change,” said Seymour.
The worst year for the world’s forests was 2016. At the time, the weather phenomenon, El Niño, and large-scale uncontrolled fires in Brazil and Indonesia contributed significantly to the destruction of large forest areas.
the data from The report come to the GWF-information from the University of Maryland, and were worn by the analysis of satellite images. In the report, it is not only deforestation, but also to destruction by fires. Forests contain numerous species, but mainly as a carbon storage has a great influence on the climate.
